I’ve been a music director at Cross Point Community Church for a little over two years now. I love my job, but I’ve discovered that I have no influence with people other than Christians. To remedy this, I’ve recently started playing music in bars again.

I’m not playing “Christian” music in the bars; I’m playing “secular” music.

As a side note, I really don’t feel that God cares what kind of music I play as long as I do it to the best of my abilities. All music can be worship music. I played with my 90’s cover band last Monday night a worshiped all through “Round Here” by Counting Crows.

But the important thing is that I’m getting to know more people outside of church. I’m having influence with people outside my circle.

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Jarrod –
Let me give you a thought from a non-Christian but is now Christian

GOOD for you, put yourself out there. Be seen. Rub elbows and just be who you are. Because non-Christians are going to see you, and you just may well influence someone who (like I was) will see that a Christian can be just a normal person you meet on the street.

Many of us have grown to be very uncomfortable in the company of Christians because we feel judged, measured and looked down upon as less than, because we aren’t Christians.

That’s what happened for me. That describes how I felt a year and a half ago. Then I went to work for a Christian and working day after day I came to realize this guy was a pretty cool guy, despite being Christian. Then really cool things started changing in how I thought, and I came to an even BIGGER realization. This guy is pretty cool because he is Christian!

So my eyes were opened, and I let God into my heart. My hope is that the people I know will see in me the same qualities and realize that (not all) Christians judge, measure or look down upon non-Christians. We’re just people, everything we’ve ever been, only now all the good things are amplified by God.

PS:
Christian music has played a huge part in my accepting of God. We listen to music in the office, mixed with ‘secular’ music. I used to tune out the Christian music, but I started hearing it, and tuning in.

I try…. when I go to the Y and stuff…. I’m constantly talking about what God did for me this week… or day….. I probably sound like some wacko at times but I just can’t help it…I LOVE Him and HE does SO much for me every single second of the day that I just have to tell peeps…

Our band at GracePoint does a lot of non-church things as outreach. It helps that five of them came from two different 80’s cover bands.

We do parades, baseball games, bars, fall festivals, coffee shops, high school reunions, fundraisers, etc… A lot of people have come to GracePoint because they heard the band doing 80’s songs somewhere.

Very cool stuff. Sometimes we mix in “church” songs. Sometimes we don’t.

kristasaid,

everyone at work and all my school friends know i go to church and talk me up on it every now and then, meaning i get to talk about how awesome God is and what he’s doing through CP in places i normally wouldn’t bring it up. i also wear my CP shirts to school, and people ask me about it, then, too. i do what i can to be a good influence on those outside the church 🙂

Judsaid,

I think it’s important to always get back to Biblical perspective. We (the Church) have allowed our post-modern culture to shape us as much or more than Biblical Truth. The Bible explicitly tells us to PREACH THE GOSPEL. Our culture, at best, tells us to privatize our faith but mostly tells us that we all are worshiping the same God. The church as a result has become insular. We’ve adapted the Gospel to humanity and not the other way around. It’s common verbage now for us to ask people to “accept” Christ. Huh?

The Gospel, by it’s very nature rips through our paper thin “goodness” to the heart of the matter. We are sinners, violators of God’s Law and desperately in need of forgiveness. I don’t have a problem with a Christian trying to befriend the lost. However if you don’t take them to the Law and instead depend on your example of a “changed life” then you have missed the point. As good as having a changed life might be (and a Bhuddist or a Hindu can claim the same thing by the way) it completely pales in comparison to What Christ did on the Cross, in the grave and his present and future glory.

So I think it’s time for us to abandon our cleverness and return to preaching the Law, because when we preach the Law we regain the power of the Cross which we seem to have lost. Or is it that we have a generation of “Christians” who have “accepted” Christ without surrendering? The issue of false conversions and the watery message we have stooped to is a matter that the Church will have to give an account for. But that’s another topic for another day.

Reading those words gave me that “TOUCHDOWN!” feeling. You know, where everything’s all normal and then boom! Wonderful. Fantastic. I wanted to be a professional singer but never wanted to do bars because I was a Christian. As I got older and started to really understand the great commission, I realized that I had things backwards. Thanks for the post, and thanks for going into the bars. I will add this ministry to the list of ministries I pray for regularly. I pray God’s strength, guidance, and presence as you go.

Great blog. I loved that whole Counting Crows album, by the way – good for you for playing “Round Here.” That said, I don’t understand “Christian music.” How can it be Christian? Music has a soul? No, I didn’t say “soul” but “A soul.” If we had to pigeon-hole music into “saved” or “unsaved” categories, I would say music that reflects truth about Jesus Christ is “Christian”. Sometimes, you can actually do that without words. Crazy, I know, but I believe it.

dorothy (vicar of vibe)said,

That is where we are supposed to be in the world. I’ve had far more “God” conversations at my job and hanging out afterwards (@Starbucks).
I once had a worship leader that actually would have one or two non-Christians play with her and the band. She was so great with them and we saw lives change. She actually would pay them out of her pocket.
Keep on reaching out for Him.

“As a side note, I really don’t feel that God cares what kind of music I play as long as I do it to the best of my abilities.”

So what do you “feel” about music that degrades other people? Or worships sin?

Maybe you separate music from the lyrics but the people listening don’t.

We definitely need to go where the lost are…. Christ gave us that example. But to say that you “feel” God doesn’t care about what you do (playing music in this case) as long as you do it to the best of your abilities is a scary doctrine. Maybe you didn’t mean to include all genres and lyrics in you statement above, but you have left the interpretation to the reader about what you “feel” is God honoring.